Tchoupitoulas Plantation restaurant brochure

Welcome to Tchoupitoulas
... a fascinating mixture of creole New w leans history) a colorful river setting) o .
standing and distinctive cuisine with the
gracious personal service of another era.
Tchoupitoulas Plantation Restaurant is the
picture of leisurely country dining ... only
a few miles from the daily pace of the city ...
where extraordinary food and drinks are a
specialty) and real hospitality ... a tradition.
Private Parties and Group Functions
Tchoupitoulas offers a unique setting for
private luncheons and dinners) affording a
variety of picturesque rooms and a lovely
covered patio- complemented by a menu to
your personal specifications) with careful
attention to every detail.
Special convention group luncheon or dinner
arrangements are available) including trans­portation
to and from the downtown hotels.
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Sign of
[;jreat (Dining
1n Vlew Orleans
6535 River Road- West Bank
Phone 776-1277 for Reservations
• ' .,
Open Daily ...... J '1 a.~. to 10 p.m.
Sa-turdctys from 5 p.m. Closed Mondays
A visit to Tchoupitoulas Plantation is more than
an experience in fine dining, it is an excursion into
the Louisiana past, with all the trimmings. A short
drive from the city, over the Huey Long Bridge, only
four miles upriver on the westbank River Road-a
gravel drive past brakes of cane and moss-hung oaks
invites you into a beautiful 12-acre slice of New Orleans
history. The estate houses a restaurant now, but two
hundred years ago, the land belonged to Sieur Delille
Dupard, an eccentric Frenchman who used swamp
voodoo and spectral night visitations to frighten money
from his debtors.
The Dupard name gradually slipped away as the
daughters married, and it was the marriage of grand­daughter
Marie Camille Arnauld that ushered in the
most glamorous years of the plantation's history. In
1818 she married a young Virginian named George
Augustus Waggaman who rose rapidly in the ranks
of society and later served in the U. S. Senate. A von­dale
Plantation (as Tchoupitoulas was then called)
became a social mecca for lovers of elegance, and the
manor house, which Waggaman built in 1840, was a
constant site of gracious entertaining. Unfortunately,
Waggaman's skill with pistols was something less than
his legislative ability, and the Avondale festivities
were cut abruptly short when he died from a duel­ing
wound. Under the widow Waggaman, however,
the plantation remained prosperous and colorful.
The modern history is sketchy, but no less colorful,
and the last tenant of the Tchoupitoulas Plantation
was as astute a businesswoman as widow Waggaman,
although her commerce was a bit more basic, replacing
sugar with hospitable women.
These winding shreds of the past are all here today,
and you feel their influence as you wander around
the grounds of Tchoupitoulas. Brilliant blue-green
and snow-white peacocks roam under the bending
branches of the gnarled live oaks, and you find
yourself seeing it' all-the madames in their clinging
silks and old Dupard springing white-faced from the
grey shroud of the Spanish moss, terrorizing his
debtors in the dead of night. The breeze sweeps from
the river over the levee and through the pines of the
front lawn, fanning the flickering orange of the en­trance-
torch flames. And in the midst of all sits the
manor house, the Tchoupitoulas Plantation, and you
realize it must have looked something like this, in
those days long ago, when George and Marie Wagga­man
laughed with their friends and dined on many­coursed
meals, and argued the politics of the day.
It is good to think of these things as you sit on
the glassed-in porch and slowly sip your Irish coffee.
There have been changes since the days of Wagga­man
and Dupard and the others. The manor house
became a restaurant in 1964, and the process of re­furbishing
produced a mixture of old and new, in
which the house's legends still cling. An old iron b.
rests on the post beside the back entrance, and p
turesque antiques are scattered throughout the house
itself. But the most colorful bastion of the Tchoupi­toulas
heritage is the collection of nude paintings
that decorate one the dining areas. The paintings
came with the house, and were said to be portra.its
of ladies formerly in residence.
The historical charm of the plantation has been
preserved, but it is not the sole selling point. The
focus of Tchoupitoulas is on the food, and it is su­perb.
The dining emphasis is on the gracious rather
than the formal, and the result is an air of relaxa­tion
and simplicity as the basis of elegant cuisine.
The menu reflects this philosophy. Rather than
the elaborately catalogued fare offered by many res­taurants,
Tchoupitoulas features a simple, handwrit­ten
menu, with a dozen entrees and a few accompa­nying
side dishes and choice of dessert. The entrees
reflect the span of taste from beef to fowl to fish,
and whether you're a gourmet, a gourmand, or sim­ply
a hungry man, you will find what you want­crabmeat
a la plantation. glazed duck, roast pheasant
or a thick rare filet.
The secret of the Tchoupitoulas success is that
each item is considered a specialty. Every dish is a
whole-hearted recommendation of the house, and for
the customer this can only spell pleasure. A typical
meal would begin with a cocktail or two (or one
maybe if you order a mint julep, or a Southern Belle
-a wild concoction of rum, gin, brandy and passion
fruit), accompanied by complimentary hors d'oe.uvres
of meatballs in barbecue sauce and cheese squares
spiced with jalapeno pepper. Next, a cup of gumbo
or Oysters T choupitoulas-a most unusual dish thought
by many to be the best specialty sened. Then, a bottle
of good wine, and an entree of perhaps Veal Cordon
Bleu, with the side dishes of the house- including
Bananas Tchoupitoulas, a unique creation of banana
slices served in a hot golden sauce of spirits, spices, and
•
r assorted ingredients. At this point you may
e for a cup of hot coffee and a loosening of the
belt. But more likely you'll be tempted by a dessert,
or their very special after-dinner drink, the Yellow
Rolls Royce-or both.
The insistence on specialty carries through the fine
dining and beyond. The service is excellent, and
you'll appreciate touches like the coffee pot left on
your table. The Irish coffee is prepared elaborately
at tableside, with the waiter blazing the whiskey in
the glass before he adds the steaming hot coffee and
whipped cream. And perhaps the most gratifying fea-
•
e of all to the customer, the waiters are always
~sent but never hesitant, and the diner can relax,
en joy his food, and set his own pace. When you have
all this, and snow white peacocks, and the ghost of
Papa Dupard, it's hard to ask for anything more.
Reprint from New Orleans Magazine-Nov. '68

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Welcome to Tchoupitoulas
... a fascinating mixture of creole New w leans history) a colorful river setting) o .
standing and distinctive cuisine with the
gracious personal service of another era.
Tchoupitoulas Plantation Restaurant is the
picture of leisurely country dining ... only
a few miles from the daily pace of the city ...
where extraordinary food and drinks are a
specialty) and real hospitality ... a tradition.
Private Parties and Group Functions
Tchoupitoulas offers a unique setting for
private luncheons and dinners) affording a
variety of picturesque rooms and a lovely
covered patio- complemented by a menu to
your personal specifications) with careful
attention to every detail.
Special convention group luncheon or dinner
arrangements are available) including trans­portation
to and from the downtown hotels.
•
•
~
~
\j
~
~ ;.... a
B
~
~
·~
bJJ
~
·~
~
·~
~
~
\j
~ ;....
C.J
•
........
~
I'd
H
~
I'd
........
V'1 v
~
~
...0....
........
I'd
........
~
I'd
~
~
V'1
I'd
~
~
0
...............
~
~
0 ...c:
u
~
l'
Sign of
[;jreat (Dining
1n Vlew Orleans
6535 River Road- West Bank
Phone 776-1277 for Reservations
• ' .,
Open Daily ...... J '1 a.~. to 10 p.m.
Sa-turdctys from 5 p.m. Closed Mondays
A visit to Tchoupitoulas Plantation is more than
an experience in fine dining, it is an excursion into
the Louisiana past, with all the trimmings. A short
drive from the city, over the Huey Long Bridge, only
four miles upriver on the westbank River Road-a
gravel drive past brakes of cane and moss-hung oaks
invites you into a beautiful 12-acre slice of New Orleans
history. The estate houses a restaurant now, but two
hundred years ago, the land belonged to Sieur Delille
Dupard, an eccentric Frenchman who used swamp
voodoo and spectral night visitations to frighten money
from his debtors.
The Dupard name gradually slipped away as the
daughters married, and it was the marriage of grand­daughter
Marie Camille Arnauld that ushered in the
most glamorous years of the plantation's history. In
1818 she married a young Virginian named George
Augustus Waggaman who rose rapidly in the ranks
of society and later served in the U. S. Senate. A von­dale
Plantation (as Tchoupitoulas was then called)
became a social mecca for lovers of elegance, and the
manor house, which Waggaman built in 1840, was a
constant site of gracious entertaining. Unfortunately,
Waggaman's skill with pistols was something less than
his legislative ability, and the Avondale festivities
were cut abruptly short when he died from a duel­ing
wound. Under the widow Waggaman, however,
the plantation remained prosperous and colorful.
The modern history is sketchy, but no less colorful,
and the last tenant of the Tchoupitoulas Plantation
was as astute a businesswoman as widow Waggaman,
although her commerce was a bit more basic, replacing
sugar with hospitable women.
These winding shreds of the past are all here today,
and you feel their influence as you wander around
the grounds of Tchoupitoulas. Brilliant blue-green
and snow-white peacocks roam under the bending
branches of the gnarled live oaks, and you find
yourself seeing it' all-the madames in their clinging
silks and old Dupard springing white-faced from the
grey shroud of the Spanish moss, terrorizing his
debtors in the dead of night. The breeze sweeps from
the river over the levee and through the pines of the
front lawn, fanning the flickering orange of the en­trance-
torch flames. And in the midst of all sits the
manor house, the Tchoupitoulas Plantation, and you
realize it must have looked something like this, in
those days long ago, when George and Marie Wagga­man
laughed with their friends and dined on many­coursed
meals, and argued the politics of the day.
It is good to think of these things as you sit on
the glassed-in porch and slowly sip your Irish coffee.
There have been changes since the days of Wagga­man
and Dupard and the others. The manor house
became a restaurant in 1964, and the process of re­furbishing
produced a mixture of old and new, in
which the house's legends still cling. An old iron b.
rests on the post beside the back entrance, and p
turesque antiques are scattered throughout the house
itself. But the most colorful bastion of the Tchoupi­toulas
heritage is the collection of nude paintings
that decorate one the dining areas. The paintings
came with the house, and were said to be portra.its
of ladies formerly in residence.
The historical charm of the plantation has been
preserved, but it is not the sole selling point. The
focus of Tchoupitoulas is on the food, and it is su­perb.
The dining emphasis is on the gracious rather
than the formal, and the result is an air of relaxa­tion
and simplicity as the basis of elegant cuisine.
The menu reflects this philosophy. Rather than
the elaborately catalogued fare offered by many res­taurants,
Tchoupitoulas features a simple, handwrit­ten
menu, with a dozen entrees and a few accompa­nying
side dishes and choice of dessert. The entrees
reflect the span of taste from beef to fowl to fish,
and whether you're a gourmet, a gourmand, or sim­ply
a hungry man, you will find what you want­crabmeat
a la plantation. glazed duck, roast pheasant
or a thick rare filet.
The secret of the Tchoupitoulas success is that
each item is considered a specialty. Every dish is a
whole-hearted recommendation of the house, and for
the customer this can only spell pleasure. A typical
meal would begin with a cocktail or two (or one
maybe if you order a mint julep, or a Southern Belle
-a wild concoction of rum, gin, brandy and passion
fruit), accompanied by complimentary hors d'oe.uvres
of meatballs in barbecue sauce and cheese squares
spiced with jalapeno pepper. Next, a cup of gumbo
or Oysters T choupitoulas-a most unusual dish thought
by many to be the best specialty sened. Then, a bottle
of good wine, and an entree of perhaps Veal Cordon
Bleu, with the side dishes of the house- including
Bananas Tchoupitoulas, a unique creation of banana
slices served in a hot golden sauce of spirits, spices, and
•
r assorted ingredients. At this point you may
e for a cup of hot coffee and a loosening of the
belt. But more likely you'll be tempted by a dessert,
or their very special after-dinner drink, the Yellow
Rolls Royce-or both.
The insistence on specialty carries through the fine
dining and beyond. The service is excellent, and
you'll appreciate touches like the coffee pot left on
your table. The Irish coffee is prepared elaborately
at tableside, with the waiter blazing the whiskey in
the glass before he adds the steaming hot coffee and
whipped cream. And perhaps the most gratifying fea-
•
e of all to the customer, the waiters are always
~sent but never hesitant, and the diner can relax,
en joy his food, and set his own pace. When you have
all this, and snow white peacocks, and the ghost of
Papa Dupard, it's hard to ask for anything more.
Reprint from New Orleans Magazine-Nov. '68